UKRaine War Comes to Moscow as Drones Strike both Capitals; Drones Hit Residences in Moscow for First Time in UKR War; VIDEO: Drones Hit Residential Areas in Moscow; Patriot Air Defense System Defeats RUssia’s Latest Missile Attack on Kyiv, LIVE UPDATES and MORE

Ukraine war comes to Moscow as drones strike both capitals:

Ukrainian drones struck wealthy districts of Moscow on Tuesday, Russia said in what one politician called the most dangerous attack on the capital since World War Two, while Kyiv was also hit from the air for the third time in 24 hours.

Since Russia sent tens of thousands of troops into its neighbour in February 2022, the war has largely been fought inside Ukraine.

Aerial strikes on targets far from the front have intensified amid a ragged stalemate on the ground with Russian forces entrenched along an extended line in Ukraine’s east and south.

One of the strategic southern places Russian forces have controlled since nearly the beginning of the invasion is the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, and on Tuesday the United Nations nuclear watchdog chief asked Ukraine and Russia to respect five principles to safeguard the station. Neither Ukraine nor Russia have committed to respect the principles.

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi has been trying for months to secure an agreement to reduce the risk of a catastrophic nuclear accident from military activity like shelling at Zaporizhzhia, Europe’s biggest nuclear power plant.

In a briefing to the U.N. Security Council, Grossi said the principles included that there should be no attack on or from the plant and that it not be used as a base for heavy weapons and military equipment. He called for off-site power to the plant to remain available and secure.

“The nuclear safety and security situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant … continues to be extremely fragile and dangerous,” Grossi said. “Military activities continue in the region and may well increase very considerably in the near future.” —>READ MORE HERE

WSJ: Drones Hit Residences in Moscow for First Time in Ukraine War:

A wave of drones struck residential buildings in Moscow for the first time since the war in Ukraine began, with several downed in a neighborhood near one of President Vladimir Putin’s residences, in an attack that Russia blamed on Kyiv.

Videos online showed plumes of smoke over the area’s turreted estates, and photographs on social media—carried by state television—displayed blackened holes in working-class apartment buildings inside Moscow and on the outskirts of the city.

Several drones were shot down over the Rublyovka district, which houses the city’s political and business elite, and is only miles from Putin’s official Novo-Ogaryovo residence.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin was informed immediately about the attack, without disclosing the president’s whereabouts at the time. He said the attacks were in retaliation for previous strikes by Russia on Ukraine.

Putin, speaking in an interview on state television later Tuesday, repeated his justification for launching what he calls a special military operation in Ukraine and suggested the morning’s attack was in retaliation for a Russian strike on the headquarters of Ukraine’s military intelligence, or HUR.

“Ukraine has chosen to try to intimidate Russia, intimidate Russian citizens and launch strikes on residential houses. It’s a clear indication of terrorist activity,” Putin said.

For the past three days, Russia has launched successive missile-and-drone attacks on Ukraine. The tactic, which has predominantly put Kyiv in the crosshairs, is part of an escalating campaign to degrade the country’s air defenses and wear down its citizens’ will to resist.

On Monday, a building in the HUR compound was hit by a Russian missile, a person familiar with the matter said. Nobody was killed in the strike but the building was severely damaged, the person said. —>READ MORE HERE

Follow links below to +++++relevant+++++ and related stories:

+++++Russia-Ukraine News LATEST UPDATES: (REUTERS) (AP) (NY POST) and (WSJ)+++++

+++++WSJ: VIDEO: Drones Hit Residential Areas in Moscow for First Time+++++

+++++Patriot air defence system defeats Russia’s latest missile attack on Kyiv+++++

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